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No.9 Usability and Creative Design (August 24, 2001)
Recently, some people have expressed their concern that by pursuing usability, all websites will end up with the same layout and will be boring. Even more extreme is the comment, "We don't want a boring website. Forget about usability-we don't need it!
So, just how much should usability be taken into account when designing a website?
 Usability is a prerequisite
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For a commercial website, it is absolutely essential consider the usability aspect of a website during the design phase. A commercial website always has a purpose. If that purpose cannot be achieved, the website cannot continue to exist.
The main purpose of most commercial websites is to sell products, provide services, or offer information. In order for a site to achieve these purposes, consideration must be given to how to get users to buy products, use the services, and get the information they want smoothly, without running away from the site.
In other words, you must acknowledge that usability is a constraint in continuing to operate a commercial website.
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Creativity is possible, even with constraints
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When you design screens within the constraints of usability, you may settle on several similar layouts in the end. But even if the layout of one site is similar to another, this fact doesn't preclude the incorporation of creative design ideas.
For example, even within a fixed layout, you can express creative ingenuity in the following areas:
- Use of color
- Focal points(including bullets such as ●, ■, frames, and lines)
- Use and selection of photos and illustrations
- Title logos
 Font types, including Times New Roman, Arial, Georgia, Comic
Embellish the text itself with bold, italics, outline, and shadow font styles
Size, layout, and embellishment around text such as borders and frames
As described above, by exercising your creativity you will be able to express your individuality, brand, or message, even with the constraints of usability.
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